Win at all costs does not mean cheating

In the last AFL season, Fox Sports were allowed a behind the scenes view in to Carlton Football Club’s training. After the training session at the Blues’ football centre at Princes Park, Chris Judd was shown drinking an energy drink.

Former Collingwood and Richmond full forward and one of Fox’s match callers, Brian Taylor, casually asked, “What’s in that, Chris?”

Judd guzzled down the drink before saying, “I don’t know. We’re like the East German Olympic team. We never ask questions.”

It was a joke, an indication of Judd’s desiccated sense of humour.

They’re not telling that gag at Essendon this week.

A mystery supplement was given to as many as 80 per cent of the club’s players. The contents of the supplement are as yet unknown but human growth hormone has not been ruled out.

The Essendon Football Club has requested an AFL investigation into the supplement and is cooperating fully with the AFL and the anti-doping authority, ASADA.

It is believed one of the club’s performance specialists, Stephen Dank, will be a central figure in the investigation. There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on Danks’ part. He was sacked by the club late last year as part of an end of season review.

In 2012, Essendon’s preseason form had been poor finishing 15th in the NAB Cup but half way through the season proper, the club had chalked up eight wins with just three losses, losing by a point to Collingwood in round 5 with losses to Melbourne and Sydney in rounds 10 and 11. It was clear that the playing list, an essentially young group finding their way in the big league, had muscled up in the off season. Many players had added 10-15kgs to their frames. They looked bigger, fitter and stronger, almost a different list to the one that had been out bodied in contests throughout season 2011.

Much was made of the impact of the club’s high performance boss, Dean “The Weapon” Robinson, a former rodeo bull rider who has worked with NRL clubs, the Sydney Roosters and the Manly Sea Eagles before heading to AFL territory to work at Geelong in the midst of the club’s golden era. A brief stint at the Gold Coast Suns ended after 12 months before he moved to Essendon.

Robinson was stood down by the club yesterday on full pay. There is no suggestion that he has done anything wrong. Talk from within the club suggests Robinson’s gruelling leg weight training was the reason the players had bulked up. When the wheels fell off on the Bombers’ season, Robinson’s methods were heavily scrutinised but the club announced in August last year that Robinson would stay on.

There is an inherent risk in accelerating the physical development of young players, adding kilograms of muscle to their frames in a short space of time. The muscles can give way under the stress. So it transpired for Essendon. A host of players were sidelined with soft tissue injuries: hamstrings, groins, calves. By the end of the season, the playing list was reduced to the bare bones. The club lost its last seven games and finished 11th on the ladder.

If the club had sought an advantage fairly or otherwise, it got nothing for its trouble. The baby Bombers finished 8th in the 2011 season. There was no September action for the burly Bombers in 2012.

While the investigation gets underway, hearts will be in the mouths of many AFL fans. Until now, the AFL has been a beacon of anti-doping with random testing in place for more than a decade and just one player suspended for use of performance enhancing drugs - a young Richmond player, Justin Charles, who admitted to taking steroids in 1997 and was suspended for 16 matches.

The current controversy reflects a cultural shift in sport globally. The line between hard work and expertise providing an advantage over one’s opponents can so easily be blurred. “Win at all costs” is a dubious axiom which can lead to rules being bent and sometimes, snapped in half. Sports fans are left with the troubling notion that cheats do prosper and the bigger the sport, the more likely that the cheats will be in the mix.

Major league baseball in the US has been beset with doping. So damaged was the reputation of the sport that the league now has trouble selecting Hall of Famers. Baseball’s heavy hitters in the 1990s, household names in the US like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco and Roger Clemens are tainted by steroid abuse and other forms of doping.

Of course we have the biggest cheat of them all, Lance Armstrong and his carefully choreographed mea culpa. In his Oprah interview, Armstrong admitted that he doped through everyone of his seven Tour de France titles. He denied that he had doped in his 2009 comeback but the evidence that he was still using EPO is overwhelming. Why continue with the lie? Because Armstrong would be subject to criminal charges for fraud for doping in 2009 while the statute of limitations had expired on his doping earlier in his career.

Lance Armstrong may have lost his integrity a long time ago and his confessions are likely to cost him millions. Yet Armstrong has a personal worth calculated at $100 million. He can afford a hit or two with a pile that big.

Your Comments

Hi Jack,
Up front I am an Essendon supporter. What are the consequences if these “scientists” have been feeding players something illegal.
Watsons medal? Geelongs premiership?

Jack the InsiderWed 06 Feb 13 (01:15pm)

To be determined by the AFL, Billy. Important to note that AFL players are subject to random drug testing. I know recreational drugs have been an issue but the three strikes rule does not apply to what ASADA determines are performance enhancing drugs. The AFL will investigate but at this point we don’t know what the supplement contains. From what we know the club has conducted itself well in bringing this to the AFL’s attention.

Alex TwbaWed 06 Feb 13 (01:14pm)

Wow the bummers were on performance enhancing substances??? how bad would they have been without them ?

Jack the InsiderWed 06 Feb 13 (01:21pm)

We don’t know that to be the case, Alex, at least we don’t know what they were taking. How bad were they in the second half of last season? 3 wins from the last 11 games.

MiltonWed 06 Feb 13 (01:16pm)

You don’t mention whether the mystery supplement was knowingly taken by the players? That is, they were informed of what it was and was for.

Well, Jack, Juddy’s PhD in chemistry is still at the printers, so perhaps you may enlighten us. Reading straight off the label on Jack3d (Pre-Exercise CNS-Carnosine-ATP Augmentor), it’s supposed to consist of Arginine Alpha-Ketoglutarate, Creatine Monohydrate, Beta Alanine, Caffeine, 1,3-Dimethylamyl-amine HCl etc. Which of those are peptides? It all starts at suburban club level, maybe even in schools where sports scores attract fee-paying parents.
We’ll hear a lot about “peptides”, club officials will plead ignorance, or inattention during Yr5 Science. It may be interesting to find out whether the AFL procedure manual includes up-to-date definitions, especially of the injectable innovations that cannot be detected in blood and urine.

Jack the InsiderWed 06 Feb 13 (01:41pm)

As I understand it, the AFL follows ASADA protocols, Trev but I did fail Year 5 science.

chrisWed 06 Feb 13 (01:40pm)

Recreational drugs are not “performance enhancing” Jack.....two or three short blacks of coffee before game time colud well see you in strife. Blood doping is rife in all sports but vitually impossible to police. Dare i say it but I would many of our star footballers have done the deed. All football codes banning players for smoking a bit of weed or snorting the marching powder “because it desnt send a good message to the kiddies” are kidding themselves. “Enhancing” ones performance on field should rely on exersise, practice and a good diet. Power drinks should be banned like any other drug. Back to sliced oranges and the magic spray.....water, for me. Thats all I got at half time

Jack the InsiderWed 06 Feb 13 (01:45pm)

I’d like to think your wrong about AFL players, Chris. I remember Sergio Silvagni telling the story that players would not take fluids at three quarter time because to do so would reveal the player was soft. That was the 1960s & 70s. The poor buggers were basically running around dehydrated. Let’s get back to Lemon Time.

BASSMANWed 06 Feb 13 (01:43pm)

As I said on your other Lance blog-sports cheats should have to hand over all of the money they have obtained by lies and cheating

Jack the InsiderWed 06 Feb 13 (01:46pm)

There’s no legal process that would involve returning money made in sponsorship, corporate appearances et cetera, Bassman. perhaps there should be but it’s not such an easy undertaking.

Alex TwbaWed 06 Feb 13 (01:43pm)

Sorry Jack poor attempt at humour, best mate is a mad bomber fan, no offence Billy3. I have heard recently that some supplements on the market have been banned in other countries and that there have been a few cases of very fit people having heart issues etc. Jack I may have missed it in the press but what triggered this issue with Essendon?

Jack the InsiderWed 06 Feb 13 (02:10pm)

It would seem that there was some gossip and discussion between some clubs and the AFL. The Bombers approached the AFL in the last two days once they knew the supplement might be suspect.

Bill GrieveWed 06 Feb 13 (02:02pm)

Supplements,everyday people take them,then you have your energy drinks like “V” and Redbull and alike, i don’t think these should be compared to Performance Drugs,but then i know very little on the subject anyway.
Ps.what are the banned performance drugs, is there a list ?.

Doesn’t it bother you that your club president, James Brayshaw is the worst cricket commentator of all time, Chris?

GlenWed 06 Feb 13 (02:19pm)

Hi Jack, fortunately the AFL has a 3 strikes policy for drug use so Essendon will be fine. Lucky they didn`t have a team bender on the grog or $ 5 at the TAB. Jest aside, it is all really sad.

Jack the InsiderWed 06 Feb 13 (02:34pm)

No the three strikes rule refers to recreational drugs, Glen. Anything on the WADA banned list is dealt with far more seriously.

Trevor3130Wed 06 Feb 13 (02:22pm)

AFL just posted ‘Bomber shocker - the key questions’.
Some info on peptides. They’ll huff & puff, but will not be able to prosecute a single case, unless someone has thoughtfully preserved a chain of evidence. I don’t think self-incrimination will be high on any player’s list.

Jack the InsiderWed 06 Feb 13 (02:34pm)

The waivers are an interesting facet to this story, Trev.

GryzlyWed 06 Feb 13 (02:25pm)

West Coast Eagle, early to mid 90’s and creatine supplements which I believe were not banned at the time. I believe the indigenous in the hardwood stack here is the signing of waivers when everything that needs to be covered should be in the standard players contract that runs to over 100 pages.

Jack the InsiderWed 06 Feb 13 (02:35pm)

Yes, very strange indeed, mate.

Mark HarrisonWed 06 Feb 13 (02:27pm)

Wouldn’t Lance Armstrong’s (just to pick on him for a moment) money and assets be “proceeds of crime”? Then again, if we were to follow that train of thought to its logical conclusion there would be a lot of “captains” of industry that would need to be mighty worried too!

This ultimately goes back to what I said in your last blog on Armstrong; elite sportsmen and sportswomen as heroes have feet of clay. They have nothing to teach the rest of us. There is nothing to be learned, no wisdom to impart that any other factory worker performing a boring repetitive task hasn’t learned. There is no real difference except one is more highly valued by spectators. At least the factory worker was doing something useful.

Jack the InsiderWed 06 Feb 13 (02:36pm)

To date, he has committed no crime and the statute of limitations has expired so that he is not liable for prosecution for his admissions to date, MH.

chrisWed 06 Feb 13 (02:34pm)

Jack the Insider says:
Wed 06 Feb 13 (02:14pm)
Doesn’t it bother you that your club president, James Brayshaw is the worst cricket commentator of all time, Chris?

No jack. I’m a West Coast Eagles supporter. 1975-84 I supported the Roos.

Bit of a shock this one, Jack. What happens in a worst case scenario? 80% of players banned and the Bombers can’t field a team. Shut up shop and see you next year? I wouldn’t cope.

Jack the InsiderWed 06 Feb 13 (02:38pm)

What we can say is that this is virgin territory for the AFL, LoA.

Carl on the CoastWed 06 Feb 13 (02:43pm)

JTI

I have to say Jack, I admire your enthusiasm, wide knowledge and love of sport. It certainly comes through in this topic.

The question of acting dishonestly to gain an advantage in a particular organised competitive sport would appear to come into play if there was an official list of so called “supplements” that are clearly identified as being banned for usage by the contestants. Whilst ignorance should not be a defence, it would be reasonable to expect the list of banned supplements would be widely disseminated amongst the players.

A further question arises as to innocence/guilt of an individual player if the banned supplement was taken unwittingly.

The statement allegedly made by Reimers about knowingly “pushing the boundaries” sounds a bit suss to me.

My days of participation in competitive sport, where the additional harmless little “booster” may have been taken every now and then, are long gone. So the shenanigans they get up to nowadays may be more complicated than my simple observation above.

Jack the InsiderWed 06 Feb 13 (02:50pm)

Ignorance is no defence, Carl. The WADA list of banned substances is known to all club medical staff or at leasdt should be.

PennyWed 06 Feb 13 (02:50pm)

JTI....I wasn’t going to read this I have to say, because I thought you were going to pay out on my beloved Bombers and I would have been very cross with you. Should know you better than that. That doesn’t take away from the fact that I am fairly devastated by all this, because no matter what the outcome, you have to wonder at the culture within the club, where players can be given supplements, where they are allowed to “beef up” and no questions are being asked by management, coaching staff etc. I do know the fans were asking questions. David Evans has put an open letter out to the fans today that tells us sweet FA. My sense of humour has deserted me on this one, but I would like to say if the players were given supplements, why couldn’t they have been given ones that worked? I think the issue is going to get bigger and involve other clubs, but Essendon have been really stupid by only reacting after it became public......not a good look. I had hoped 2013 was going to be a good one for us, don’t think so somehow......don’t think it’s going to be a good year for James Hird, Mark Thompson or Ron Evans for that matter. Sheeds please come back!!

Jack the InsiderWed 06 Feb 13 (04:36pm)

I showed admirable restraint, didn’t I? The really worrying thing is this may go a lot further than the Bombers, Penny.

DwightWed 06 Feb 13 (02:51pm)

Dunno Jack, as it stands right now it’s a battle of the chemists--those who develop the PE drugs and masking agents, and those who develop the tests. Might we be better off just ceding the field? I’m of two minds.

TrivalveWed 06 Feb 13 (02:54pm)

It may surprise you to learn that I used to maintain the ASDA hotline database for a couple of years (back before they had to add the extra A because the yanks did too). This involved a little bit of coding but mostly doing the updates when the new MIMS came out, so had a pretty good look at it. Quite interesting to see the sorts of substances that were flagged for various sports - I can’t remember any examples as this was in the previous millennium, but there was some pretty innocuous stuff in there that you might not expect to be a problem. If you’re an elite athlete, you really do have to watch what goes down your gullet. Any other type of non-food/drink entry, like needles or pills, well I reckon you know that you’re doing something dodgy. But I wouldn’t like to have to think about every little thing I consumed. Stick to a controlled range of foodstuffs I guess. Ask Warney.

It will be interesting to see where this goes. I find it hard to believe that James Hird would have condoned it. But you have to wonder if all those soft-tissue injuries aren’t related?

ASAWed 06 Feb 13 (02:59pm)

I heard AFL commentator Perter Larkins on ABC this morning say that the AFL does not have an effective testing regime for measuring blood profiling (eg detecting the systematic use of stuff such as EPO and blood transfusions).
Given the proven effect of their benefits on recovery and aerobic endurance (hello Lance), and the miniscule chance of being detected, it would be naive in the extreme to believe players in AFL were not trying to get an edge on their oponents through programs such as these. Lance showed how easy it was to avoid failing a test in a more advanced testing regime.

Typing_MonkeyWed 06 Feb 13 (03:00pm)

As a Dockers supporter, I can categorically state that Winning At All Cost is not a mantra that has ever been associated with my club.

Tony NWed 06 Feb 13 (03:07pm)

Jack, what are the rules regarding substances that are on the prohibited list but players have to take for genuine medical reasons (I should imagine there would be some)?

Jack the InsiderWed 06 Feb 13 (04:40pm)

Out of competition there are exemptions, Tony. In it, there none.

TrivalveWed 06 Feb 13 (03:10pm)

chris - who did you support in 85 and 86?

MiltonWed 06 Feb 13 (03:13pm)

JTI - well at face value what you provided (the link) it seems quite odd/suspicious. Signing waivers, saying what you are taking is at the edge. The suggestion is that it is from top down, rather than at the players initiative. Nothing wrong with that (that is how it should be and what managers etc are paid for) provided it is legal and professional.

poaWed 06 Feb 13 (03:15pm)

Ripper piece Jack. Pity a few of your mates aren’t exactly paying attention a la the “Whatever it takes” Richo style of politics.
I’m with you. Its about how you get there, not where you end up.
(And I’m still an Armstrong fan!") ..Probably the last one! The man was/is phenomenal, anyone who thinks its all doe to the cheating drugs gioves them too much credit. He’s a brilliant athlete regardless.
The people cheated were those who would have won if not for the cheating. Thats not me! I’m not exactly 2nd place getter in the TdF material!
Maybe we are just old fashioned Jack. Relics of a time when you refused any prize money because you’d lose your amateur status.
It was a great time Jack. For the nation as well as us.

A little bit of that ethics and responsiblity would be a great change!

Jack the Insider

Jack the Insider is a highly placed, dedicated servant of the nation with close ties to leading figures in politics, business and the union movement. Jack tends to be present at crucial moments in world history, ready to grapple with huge events and give them a gentle nudge. His real identity must remain unknown for obvious reasons. Jack's new book The Insider's Guide To Power In Australia is available from Random House.